episode_0165

“I love you too, Mother.”

Vivian was breathless at Titania’s whisper.

Titania’s confession of love had been heard many times, and she thought she had grown accustomed to it, but no matter how many times she heard it, her heart fluttered as if it were the first time.

Vivian made a gasping sound and took a step back, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. It was to erase any lingering sensation from their kiss. Was this what they meant by being harmful to the heart?

After taking a deep breath and calming herself, Vivian glanced at Titania. The affectionate gaze directed at her still dripped with love.

It felt like a thick sweetness was permeating the air. Lately, she hadn’t noticed, but such a gaze was definitely not one that should be directed at her “mother.”

She knew well what kind of gaze that was…

Vivian sighed briefly and looked up at Titania, asking, “Did you really mean what you just said?”

“What?”

“The talk about destiny and how one decides for themselves.”

“Oh, that?”

In response to Vivian’s question, Titania chuckled softly.

“Well, is that really important right now?”

“…What?”

Vivian’s brow furrowed slightly at Titania’s almost teasing tone.

“Sister and I have only come up with a simple ‘hypothesis.’ We both have a ‘similar’ Veronica sister, so why is it that Veronica’s kiss doesn’t break the ‘curse,’ while my kiss does?”

“That, that’s…”

“It’s just a guess that maybe Mother isn’t hoping for that. Because she loves me more than Veronica. So, maybe the curse is broken only by my kiss?”

…Could that really be the case?

Apologies to Veronica, but as Titania mentioned, there was indeed some difference in affection between them. After all, Titania had been raised by Mother “directly” since she was young.

Unlike Titania, Veronica was a child who appeared unexpectedly. Still, she tried to share love with Veronica as fairly as possible, but there seemed to be an inevitable difference.

Vivian glanced at Titania with a puzzled look, but Titania paid no attention to Vivian’s gaze. She smiled and slowly approached Vivian.

“Don’t make that expression. I told you, it’s just a simple hypothesis.”

“…Yes, I said it was a hypothesis.”

“So don’t worry too much. What’s important is…”

Titania sent a coquettish look to Vivian, asking her to relax her expression. Seeing that, Vivian, who had sighed lightly at Titania’s coquettish expression, forced a smile while smoothing out her furrowed brow.

Looking at that smile, Titania smiled back and took hold of Vivian’s wrist, bringing it to her face. Then, she slowly wrapped Vivian’s wrist and covered her cheek with Vivian’s hand.

Slightly tilting her head, feeling Vivian’s touch on her cheek, she kissed Vivian’s palm. Even in the midst of this, Titania’s gaze remained fixed on Vivian.

As if being seduced, Vivian’s face suddenly blushed.

Her entire body tingled with embarrassment, and she couldn’t help but avoid eye contact. The gaze looking at her was different from before, too intense and affectionate, which made her feel ashamed.

Wasn’t the appearance of a child better? There was no such blatant seduction when it was in the form of a child.

To cover her increasingly flushed face, Vivian used her remaining hand to cover her mouth. Watching her, Titania grinned and once again brought Vivian’s hand to her mouth and spoke.

“What’s important is that the curse is lifted by kissing me. Not Veronica, not anyone else, only by kissing me.”

“That’s true, but…”

“That’s the only truth, it’s a fact. The fact that my mother’s curse is lifted by my kiss. That’s all my mother needs to know. It’s just the fact that I am the destined partner of my mother’s fate.”

Vivian, who made a groaning sound, furrowed her brow as if she didn’t quite understand. Titania, watching her, chuckled and let go of Vivian’s wrist, then quickly urged her to lie down, patting the pillow gently.

“So, will I really sleep now?”

“The curse? If we don’t count the time?”

“I’ll keep track of the time, so you don’t have to worry about it. Besides…”

It wouldn’t matter anyway if they returned within the time for sleep.

Titania quickly lay Vivian down, held her shoulders, and slowly laid her on the bed. Then, covering her with the blanket up to her shoulders, Vivian pursed her lips as if she didn’t like it.

“I told you. Not to treat me like a child… Even though the curse has been lifted now…”

“I’ve said it repeatedly, I don’t treat my mother like a child.”

Titania smiled as she lay in bed, looking intently at Vivian.

Lying facing each other, they nestled into Vivian’s embrace after a long time. Nestled in Vivian’s arms, Titania listened to her mother’s heartbeats, which were louder than usual, and smiled softly.

“My attitude towards my mother is the same as when I treat someone I love.”

Vivian couldn’t say anything in response to such a straightforward whisper of love. As she looked at Titania, who had buried her face in her chest and closed her eyes, Vivian was lost in thought for a moment.

Honestly, she wanted to lift the curse, but at the same time, she didn’t want to. Because if the curse were to be lifted, it would mean that Titania’s words were ‘true.’

“Being a destined partner doesn’t mean someone predetermined by fate. It’s strange that the curse is lifted by someone predetermined by someone else. A destined partner is something you ‘decide’ for yourself.”

Decide for yourself.

Have I already accepted Titania’s feelings?

Veronica had clearly said this. The reason the curse isn’t lifted is a problem with my “heart.” She said the curse is less likely to be lifted because I reject Titania.

“Yes, by myself. My mother determined me as the destined one. Not someone else, but directly chosen by my mother. It means me, as your destined one.”

…I couldn’t refute anything at that moment.

Normally, I would have definitely said no.

At that time, no words came to mind, and I couldn’t say anything. As if being struck at the core. I really couldn’t refute anything.

“Yes, my mother loves me. Not as a daughter, but as a ‘woman.’”

How am I looking at Titania now? As Titania said, am I seeing Titania as a person, not as a daughter?

The tingling sensation I feel every time Titania says this, is it truly the emotion of seeing Titania as a woman?

I don’t know.

I still don’t know well.

But there was one thing that was certain.

I can’t look at Titania as I used to.

That much was certain.

*

The next morning.

The first thing Vivian did when she woke up was to look at her own fingers. They were still long and slender. They weren’t the short, stubby fingers of a child that she usually saw.

“…It’s not undone.”

Even after more than two hours, she didn’t revert back to being a child. Vivian let out a bitter laugh. Has the curse really been lifted? Do I really “love” Titania in that way?

As Vivian chuckled softly, Titania, who had just woken up, smiled at Vivian. Meeting Titania’s gaze confirmed in her red eyes that she was an adult, not a child.

“The curse… it’s not coming back.”

“Yeah. It seems like time has been extended.”

“…Huh?”

Surely, if it were Titania, I thought she would immediately respond that the curse had been lifted, but Titania’s reaction was more dazed than expected. Stretching and getting up, Titania smiled at Vivian.

“First, should we wait? Just in case.”

“Uh, yeah… okay.”

Vivian was slightly puzzled by Titania’s nonchalant response. She couldn’t quite understand why, but she felt a little disappointed that the reaction wasn’t what she had expected. Vivian found herself smiling at her own strange emotions.

As time passed and there was nothing to do after having breakfast in the room, she started reading a book—

“Oh, huh?”

She felt her body shrinking while the world around her seemed to expand. When Vivian lowered her head to look at her palm, her fingers had once again become short and stubby.

“The curse hasn’t been lifted…?”

Turning her head to look at Titania, who seemed lost in thought with her arms crossed, murmuring softly as she glanced at her watch.

“Exactly 12 hours… half a day.”

“12 hours…?”

Six times longer than the previous 2 hours.

Vivian pondered for a moment as she looked at her palm. Clearly, Veronica had mentioned that the time when the curse is lifted is related to the ‘heart’. So…

“Could it be that about half of your heart has come to me?”

As if she had read Vivian’s inner thoughts, Titania chuckled and whispered into Vivian’s ear with a sly smile. The whisper instantly turned Vivian’s face bright red.

“I want to refute it, but I can’t…!”

Veronica’s words and the time the curse was lifted had already proven it. She couldn’t deny that her heart had transferred to some extent.

As Vivian made a groaning sound, Titania chuckled, then touched her chin and began to contemplate seriously.

“Leaving that aside, 12 hours… seems a bit shorter than I had anticipated. I was certain I could endure for about 15 hours…”

“Oh… you knew the curse wouldn’t be lifted?”

“Of course. Mother is still confused, but the curse wouldn’t just be lifted, would it?”

Titania smirked as she looked at Vivian. After scrutinizing her for a while, she nodded decisively as if she had made a decision.

“But even so, 12 hours… should be fine, right?”

“Huh?”

When Vivian cocked her head, Titania sat beside her, smiling, and asked, “Mother, wouldn’t it be time for you to return to the palace little by little?”

“Hmm? Well, I suppose it’s time to set aside the appearance of a child…”

“Yes. Now it’s time for you to wander around the palace in the appearance of an adult.”

Vivian couldn’t keep her mouth shut at Titania’s suggestion.

After all, she had promised not to set foot in the palace again. Although she had secretly stepped into the palace in the guise of a child, living in the palace as an adult was a different story.

“I’ll inform the ministers to let them know that you’ve returned to the palace,” said Titania.

“But, is that really okay…? I promised not to step foot in the palace with the ministers… Won’t the adult me be a nuisance to you…?”

“…It’s okay.”

As Vivian hesitated, Titania smiled and embraced her, comforting her and patting her back, assuring her that everything would be fine.

“Don’t worry. It’s okay.”

You really don’t need to worry at all.

Because-

The people who should keep that promise, now they are no longer in the palace.